Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a monarchy that ruled much of the Balkans from 1 December 1918 to 4 December 1943 before being formally abolished on 29 November 1945. The kingdom united the Slavic states of Southern Europe under one country, and it was ruled by the Karadordevic dynasty, the rulers of Serbia since the 1800s. Yugoslavia became independent as a result of World War I, during which Austria-Hungary's Balkan empire was dissolved, and the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro united with the recently-freed Austrian regions to form a new kingdom. In 1941, the country allied with Nazi Germany during World War II due to its anti-communist sentiment, but a coup by air force officers in April 1941 led to the installation of an anti-German regency. The German Wehrmacht, Italy, and Hungary proceeded to invade Yugoslavia and conquer it with few casualties, and Yugoslavia remained under Axis occupation until 1945. In 1943, a communist provisional government led by Josip Broz Tito was created, and the kingdom was formally abolished on 29 November 1945.